Summer of 96
by Samwise95
Summary: H/Hr, set in the summer after fifth year. Harry is back at the Dursleys and is consumed by guilt after the events in the Department of Mysteries. Until one night, when Hedwig brings a letter that will eventually change everything. While the wizarding world darkens and uncertainty grows in Britain, there is still one certainty: it will be an interesting summer for Harry…
1. Introduction

_Sirius is dead._

That was the horrible truth.

 _He's not coming back._

That's a fact.

 _It's all my fault._

That was what he had been telling himself all summer long.

Harry Potter was in his room at Number 4, Privet Drive. It was July 14th, around eleven o'clock at night, and he had been back from Hogwarts for two weeks now. It wasn't like he had done much in that time. He had mostly been in his room, like he was at the moment. Lying on the bed or on the floor, sitting in his battered old chair, he didn't much care for it. He only exited his room to use the bathroom or shower and to eat, that was it. He pondered about his life into the late hours of the night and barely slept afterwards. He didn't utter a word to the Dursleys. Harry didn't bother going outside either, because of the cloudy and foggy weather that had been haunting Britain all summer.

 _The Dursleys are the only family I have left._

That was yet another depressing thought that made Harry feel sick. Why were all these things happening to him? He had lost his parents when he was still an infant and was effectively raised by people who didn't care about him at all. Harry had saved his cousin Dudley from a Dementor's Kiss last summer, and even that had earned him a lot of yelling. He had never even known what having a family meant. He did consider the Weasleys his family, but even with al the parent- or brotherlike love he received, it wasn't the same. And then there was Sirius… his godfather, the one person who seemed destined to become the father he never had. He was his family, the person that connected Harry with his parents more than the Dursleys or even the Weasleys ever could have done. Until Sirius too had been brutally taken away from him, only a few weeks ago.

 _I miss him._

Tears prickled in his eyes. Harry felt horrible. He was convinced that his godfather's death was his fault. Hadn't Harry been the one who had fallen for Voldemort's trap? And it didn't end there. His godfather had been killed, but he had led five of his best friends into the trap along with him. He had put their lives in danger. Neville's wand and nose had both been broken. Ginny broke her ankle. Ron had been attacked by some freaky brains. Hermione had nearly been killed. For one terrifying moment, Harry actually thought she was dead. He hadn't even told his two best friends about the prophecy yet. They didn't know he was destined to kill or be killed.

 _Hermione._

Harry wondered how she was doing. Hermione had been injured the worst and she was his best friend, after all. Harry had heard Madam Pomfrey mention how she had sustained minor damage to some of her organs. Hermione had sent him two letters earlier in the summer, informing him she was feeling better and inquiring about how he was doing, but Harry hadn't replied. He was consumed by guilt. He hadn't responded to Ron's letter from last week either.

It could have been a coincidence, but just as he was thinking about Hermione, he saw something approaching outside his window. Even through the thick layers of night mist, he could see the figure growing bigger and bigger, until he saw what it was: his own owl, Hedwig. Harry silently opened the window and let her inside the room, letting some of the cold night air in too. He gently put her in her cage and gave her a few owl treats. It was then that he noticed: she carried a letter with her. In previous years, this would have been a joyous moment for the young wizard, but he didn't much care about it now. That is, until he saw that it was a letter from his female best friend. Harry perked up slowly and opened it.

 _Dear Harry,_

 _I know this is a tough time for you. You loved Sirius and I can't even imagine how horrible you must feel right now. But I know you well enough, and I can tell you're still blaming yourself for everything that happened in the Department of Mysteries. Not only with Sirius, but the rest of us too. Let me tell you this: it wasn't your fault, Harry. Anyone who had a parent or the closest thing they have to it be abducted, would have done the same thing. We checked before we went to the Ministry and we were deceived by a lie. You could not have known, none of us could. Please, don't feel guilty about what happened to Sirius and us. Ron, Neville, Ginny, Luna and myself don't blame you at all and Sirius would not have wanted you to lock yourself up like this._

 _Will you please write back to me, Harry? I've known you for nearly five years now and I've never seen you not respond to one of my letters. I'm very worried about you. You're one of the people I care about the most in this world, and it pains me to see you suffer like this._

 _Love_

 _Hermione_

There were a few dark spots around the final couple of sentences. Had Hermione been crying when she was writing the letter? It seemed like she had. _Merlin,_ Harry thought, _I've really been blind._ He was touched by how much she cared for him. Only now did he realize how much he had pained his friends by keeping silent in the past few weeks. Only now did he see what he was doing to them. _How could I have been so stupid?_

"Hedwig", Harry said. "I'm going to let you out now. Have a good hunt, eat a bit, get some rest. Come back in the morning, I will have five letters ready for you to deliver. Okay?"

Hedwig hooted softly in response. She hopped onto his arm, while Harry carried her to the window to let her out. A minute later, he was watching her disappear into the night sky. It was well past midnight by now, but Harry knew he needed to do this. He took his quill and a new piece of parchment, and started writing.

 _Dear Hermione,_

 _I'm sorry that you didn't hear anything from me for the past two weeks. I really don't know what got into me. The only thing I know is that I've been feeling horrible ever since we went to the Department of Mysteries last month. I still feel like it was my fault. What would Sirius have been doing there anyway? Instead of thinking rationally, I stormed out there like a madman and took the five of you with me. All of you could have been killed because of my inabiltity to think clearly. It's true that Kreacher is a nasty piece of work and he's to blame as well for lying to us, but still… I feel responsible for what happened._

A few tears started leaking from Harry's eyes, putting small spots on the brown parchment. It was as if some of the stress and emotion he'd been keeping in for these past few weeks were finally being released, even if it was only a little bit. He couldn't understand why he hadn't written her earlier. But he had to continue.

 _Again, I'm sorry about not writing you earlier. You did not deserve that. None of you did. It feels like I haven't lived these past few weeks. I'm just sitting in my room all day without much to do, except thinking. The Dursleys don't talk to me, but I guess that isn't such a bad thing. I haven't been outside since we came back from Hogwarts either. But enough about me, what about you? I overheard Madam Pomfrey when we were still at school, and she said the wound you sustained was very nasty. Is your condition still improving?_

 _Thanks for writing to me, Hermione. It means a lot to me, it really does. I don't deserve a friend like you._

 _See you soon and take care,_

 _Harry_

Harry sighed. Writing that letter alone had drained him, but he couldn't stop now. Ron, Ginny, Neville and Luna deserved a letter as well. He wanted to know how Ginny's ankle was and if Ron was feeling all right after the brain attack. And what about Luna? Had Neville already gotten himself a new wand?

By the time he had finished the four letters, the sky outside his window was already getting lighter. For the first time that summer, the mist seemed to have cleared. He could hear birds singing. Harry looked at the clock. Five in the morning. He supposed he could take a nap before Hedwig came back… and within minutes, the exhausted teenage boy was fast asleep.

* * *

Yeah, that's right: it's another summer story! Guess I really like this particular time of year… anyway, we're in the summer after fifth year this time around, and this will be my first go at completely rewriting a part of the novels. No trying to get Slughorn back to Hogwarts, no encounter with Malfoy in Diagon Alley and so on. Small details and facts from the novels might be used, however. I hope you'll be with me all the way! If I get even half as much support as I got for Summer Day, I'll be a happy man.

Also, I'll do my best not to use huge and abrupt time skips. I have learned from that mistake after writing the final chapter of my last story, I can remember someone commenting in the reviews that I needed to work on that.

By the way. Obvious Bryan Adams reference is obvious… I'll go and slap myself right now.


	2. A Stack of Letters

It was three in the afternoon when Harry woke up. Bright sunlight was falling on him through the window. His room was incredibly hot. It reminded Harry of last summer's heat wave. He was still very drowsy. It was only then that he noticed that Hedwig was sitting on the window ledge, waiting patiently to get inside.

"Hey", Harry said with a small smile on his lips. "Are you ready to get to work, girl?"

Hedwig hooted in response.

"Okay then, I have five letters for you. This one is for Hermione, please deliver that one first. These two should be taken to the Burrow, they are for Ron and Ginny. This one is for Luna Lovegood. And finally, get this last one to Longbottom Manor. Got everything?"

Hedwig hooted again and silently set off for her long journey. Harry watched her fly away in the sunny sky, until her form became too small to distinguish clearly on the blue horizon. By now, he was feeling very hungry, for the first time in weeks. He made his way downstairs. Uncle Vernon was sitting outside in the sun, apparently enjoying a foot bath while reading the newspaper. Aunt Petunia was sleeping on the bench a few meters from him, in the shadows. Dudley was nowhere to be seen.

Harry, wanting to keep the peace and not disturb his relatives, silently made his way towards the fridge. He took a few slices of ham and cheese, got the bread out of the closet and started eating.

"What are you doing?"

Harry looked to his right, where his cousin Dudley was now standing in the doorframe.

"I'm eating, Dudders. I thought you knew everything about that."

Dudley tensed a bit. "Do you mind if I come and sit here? I'm feeling a bit hungry too…"

Harry, surprised by the sudden friendliness from his cousin, nodded. He couldn't remember the last time when Dudley had been this polite towards him. _Come to think of it, this is probably a first,_ Harry thought as Dudley helped himself to a piece of bread and a slice of ham.

"Are you feeling all right?"

Harry was taken by surprise, yet again. When was the last time Dudley had been interested in how he felt?

"It's been hard these last few weeks," Harry said softly.

"I figured, since you don't come down here that often this summer. I'm not that oblivious to everything, you know…" Dudley smiled nervously. "Did something happen at… you know…"

"School? No. It's just… well, I can't explain all of it, but me and some of my friends ended up in the Ministry of Magic last month. We were lured there, it was a trap by Voldemort."

Harry didn't even wonder why he was telling this to Dudley. For some reason, it felt all right talking like this to his cousin, even if that had proven to be near impossible in the last fifteen years. Quite frankly, he was just happy to talk to someone.

"Wasn't he the guy who murdered your parents?"

"That's him. It didn't go too well. All of my friends bar one were hurt in some way. My best friend Hermione got injured pretty badly, but she's doing OK now."

"Is that why you're feeling bad?"

Harry sighed. "Partially. My godfather came to rescue us, along with some other people… and… he didn't make it." Harry's voice died away. Dudley didn't seem to know how to respond to that, so he changed the subject.

"It's been a weird summer, don't you think? All those strange things that are happening. Even the weather is acting strange, with all the mist and stuff. Today must be the first time we can actually enjoy the summer for a bit."

"It's weird indeed. And I think I know what's causing all of those things. It's him and his followers, I'm sure of it. I heard that they like to attack Mug… non-magic people for fun, sometimes."

Dudley gulped.

"I wouldn't be too worried about yourself and your parents, Dud. This house is protected by defensive wards from our Headmaster, and it has been ever since we were a year old. He told me last month. As long as I'm here, Voldemort and his followers can't harm you. For the time being, at least. I think they disappear when I turn seventeen next summer, but I'm sure we'll find a solution to that."

"So we're completely safe?"

"Well, completely is a big word. You mentioned that mist, right? I have a nasty feeling that it is caused by Dementors, and I'm sure you remember those…"

Dudley instinctively put his hands in front of his mouth. From one second to another, he had grown very tense. "There are more of them?"

Harry looked his cousin in the eye with a serious expression before nodding slowly. "When we were attacked last summer, there were only two of them. I found out that some lunatic woman from the Ministry had sent them after me, by the way. Because she thought I needed to be silenced for speaking the truth about Voldemort's return. The Ministry refused to believe it and apparently I was dangerous to them, or to her at least. That's why we were attacked."

"But you drove them away."

"I did, with that silvery thing, remember? It's called a Patronus Charm. Very difficult spell, but I got the hang of it."

"So, you will protect us if those… Demen-thingies come here again?"

"I will. I just hope it doesn't come to that. But apparently they have defected and are now under Voldemort's command, so it isn't impossible… that's probably why all that mist is everywhere in the country, since they can now roam around freely. But I will protect you, Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon if it should be necessary."

The room grew silent again.

"Thanks," Dudley muttered softly.

After they had finished eating, Harry looked up from his plate. His gaze met Dudley's.

For the first time in fifteen years, both cousins smiled at each other.

 _(…)_

It had been two days since Harry had sent the letters to his friends. Hedwig hadn't come back yet. It was nighttime again, and after a two sunny days and star-filled night skies, the overcast weather and occasional mists had returned to Privet Drive.

Harry was sitting at his desk, staring outside the window. He was currently fixated on the nearest lamp post, although he felt himself dozing off. Until, suddenly…

"Hedwig!"

He saw his trusty owl approaching the house. She seemed to be carrying a small bundle with her. Harry, who suddenly grew very excited, silently opened the window. Hedwig flew inside and hooted softly when Harry untied the bundle from her leg.

"Here you go, Hedwig. Take some rest."

Harry carried her towards her cage and gave her a few owl treats before opening the bundle. As he had hoped, it contained five letters.

He was pleasantly surprised to see his friends were all doing well. None of them suffered any lasting damage, although Ron apparently had a few small scars where the brains had been clinging to his skin. Ginny's ankle had healed completely, as had Neville's nose. Neville's grandmother appeared to be so proud that she had bought him a new wand, which Neville seemed to be very excited about. Luna was on an expedition with her father and thanked Harry multiple times for writing a letter, mentioning it had been ages since someone had written her.

Harry had decided to save the best for last, as there was only one letter left: Hermione's. He reached out for her envelope and opened it carefully.

 _Dear Harry,_

 _I'm so happy you wrote back, I was very worried about you. But, your letter didn't do much to lift those feelings. I feel really bad, knowing that you're suffering this much with everything that happened. I didn't even imagine it would be this horrible. Let me tell you again: it was not your fault, Harry._

 _However, no matter how many times I tell you, I know you'll keep feeling bad about it for at least some time. That's why I will write a letter to Professor Dumbledore after I finished writing this one. I will ask him if it would be possible for you to stay at my house until the end of the summer, or until we go to the Burrow. I think it would do wonders for you, since you'll have someone to talk to. And we can do some fun things and study together too!_

Harry's mouth fell open. She hadn't. This couldn't be true. Could he really go and join her for nearly an entire summer? What would the Dursleys think of that? And Hermione's parents? How would Dumbledore have reacted to her letter?

 _As for me, I'm doing better. Dolohov hit me with some type of Dark Curse, Madam Pomfrey didn't want to tell me which one. Apparently I was lucky to have him cast it non-verbally, since it could have done more severe damage if he did. Anyway, it caused some internal damage to one of my lungs and my liver. I had to take it easy for some time and I had to drink Madam Pomfrey's potions until last Thursday, but I have recovered completely. There will be no lasting damage at all. Even that huge scar I had running over my body has disappeared, which is nice! I heard Ron, Ginny, Neville and Luna are fine as well. I hope that will make you feel less guilty._

 _I really hope that you can come over here, Harry. I miss you._

 _Love_

 _Hermione_

She was fine. Hermione was fine. She had healed completely. No lasting damage. Harry uttered a sigh of relief. And he might be with her for the rest of the summer!

As if on cue, he heard something tapping his window. When he opened it, a large barn owl flew into the room, dropped a letter in front of Harry's feet, and set off into the night. Harry already had an idea who had sent the letter, and it was no surprise to him when he saw Professor Dumbledore's handwriting appear when he opened the envelope.

 _Hello Harry,_

 _After what happened at the end of last term, I hope your recovery is going well. I can only tell you how sorry I am, even though I know apologies might not be good enough in this case. I hope you will find it in your heart to forgive me for the secrets I have kept from you for too long. It was a foolish mistake made by an old man._

 _I received a letter from Miss Granger, explaining how you were feeling about the events that occurred in the Ministry of Magic. She requested that you be transferred over to her house for the remainder of the summer. However, I am afraid I cannot allow that, as I did explain how the wards around your Aunt's house are protecting you and how they need to be 'recharged' every summer. Sadly, you haven't been there long enough for the wards to be of sufficient strength again._

Harry's face dropped. He knew it was too good to be true, something like this had to come along and deny him the opportunity to have a friend with him for nearly the entire summer.

 _However, I recognise that you are in pain right now, perhaps even greater pain than I can possibly think of. I also recognise that having a friend with you could do a lot to relieve you of said pain. That is why I proposed for Miss Granger to stay at your Aunt's house in Little Whinging. I suppose it will be okay for both you and her. If her parents agree, I will bring her to Privet Drive on July 21st at noon. I will talk to your family members then and there if they are being difficult about the whole thing._

 _Yours sincerely_

 _Albus Dumbledore_

 _Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry_

This wasn't happening. It couldn't be.

 _"_ _YES!"_

Harry forced himself not to cry out his joy. He didn't want to suffer the consequences of waking the Dursleys in the middle of the night. But really, this was the best news he'd gotten in a long time. Hermione would be coming over to Privet Drive. She would stay with him for the entire summer! Maybe he could have some fun times in Little Whinging, for the first time in his life… that is, if…

He grabbed his quill and a new piece of parchment, and scribbled a short message on it.

 _I got a letter from Dumbledore, he explained everything. What did your parents say?_

 _Love_

 _Harry_

"Hedwig, could you take this letter to Hermione immediately, please?"

 _(…)_

Harry woke up the next morning, hoping it hadn't been a dream. For a minute, he actually thought it had been, until he saw the pile of letters on his desk, Hermione's on top. A smile crept on Harry's face. _I just hope her parents said yes…_

Hedwig hadn't returned yet. There was another thing that had to be done, however. The Dursleys needed to be informed.

Fifteen minutes later, Harry grabbed a chair and sat down for breakfast with Dudley and Aunt Petunia. Uncle Vernon was off to work.

"Aunt Petunia?"

"What?"

"There's something I need to tell you."

Petunia eyed him suspiciously. "Yes?"

"Well, you see… I got a letter from our Headmaster last night. Some things happened last month and… he thinks it would be best for me if one of my friends comes over to stay here for the summer."

His aunt's eyes narrowed. "And what makes you think that I and your uncle would allow this?"

"Professor Dumbledore didn't sound like he was giving you a choice. I also want someone to come here and he said he'd deal with you if you didn't agree with it."

Petunia looked like someone had just smacked her with her new frying pan. Or like she had seen something particularly nasty sitting on her porch. Harry knew she would never have been okay with it, but she didn't have a choice.

"Fine, I suppose he can stay with you in your room, as long as he brings his own mattress, a camp bed or something else. Who is this 'friend'?"

"Her name is Hermione."

Petunia looked rather shocked. Dudley, who had been following the conversation with interest, immediately responded. "It's a girl?"

"Yes."

Aunt Petunia didn't seem too happy about this revelation. "Is she your girlfriend? Because if you think I will have any ridiculous teenage stuff going on in my house-"

"She's not my girlfriend, Aunt Petunia. She's my best friend, nothing more than that."

Petunia didn't look convinced. Harry could see she was deep in thought. It took some time before she managed to speak again.

"She can stay in your room. I'll inform your uncle when he returns home this evening. But if I notice anything -"

"Thanks, Aunt Petunia."

Harry didn't need a lecture from his aunt. He stood up and went back upstairs to his room. When he opened the door, he saw Hedwig sitting in her cage again, and a new letter had been dropped on top of the stack he had received last night. Harry recognized the handwriting on the envelope. He opened it.

A feeling of joy crept over him as he fistpumped the air. The letter fell to the ground.

 _They said yes, I'll see you on the 21st. I can't wait, Harry!_

 _Love_

 _Hermione_

* * *

 **I HAVE A QUESTION FOR YOU!** I came up with the idea to make a rewrite of Prisoner of Azkaban, which is my favourite Harry Potter title for various reasons. If I get around to doing this, it will be a Harry/Hermione rewrite, obviously. My question is, **would you be interested in reading this**? I know the opinions on story rewrites are very divided. Some people (like me) absolutely love them, others think they are lazy, uninspired, boring, lame,... if you want to give your opinion on this idea, then send me a personal message (I prefer this method, if you don't mind).

If you are wondering why that conversation with Dudley is in here: as a member of the Dursley household, he'll need to have at least some prominence in this story. With this conversation, I want to set the tone for how he will act in this story. I don't think his friendly behaviour is out of character, since this is the year after the Dementor attack. We saw the impact it had on Dudley's behaviour in Deathly Hallows.


	3. Getting Settled In

July 21st was upon them very soon. Harry got up with a funny feeling in his stomach, similar to what he had felt when Cho Chang had been near him in the last couple of years. He didn't give it much thought, thinking it was due to pure joy and happiness. For the first time, he would have some nice company in the Dursley residence. The fact that that person was his best friend only made it all the more sweet.

Harry made his way downstairs for breakfast. Uncle Vernon was his usual grumpy self and looked at Harry with a death glare when he entered the room. He hadn't reacted to the news very well. But Harry knew the Dursleys didn't have a choice. Dumbledore didn't sound like he could be reasoned with on this decision, not this time. Aunt Petunia seemed very nervous about the whole thing, while Dudley looked rather calm and collected, surprisingly. There was a time when the prospect of having another witch or wizard in the house would have terrified him, but it seemed those days were long gone.

After breakfast, he went up to his bedroom and counted down until noon.

Two hours to go… forty-five minutes… twenty minutes left…

When his clock hit noon, the doorbell rang immediately. He rushed downstairs, racing for the front door.

 _"_ _Harry!"_

Not even a second after he had opened the door, Harry was buried in Hermione's bushy hair. He could barely breathe because of how tightly she was hugging him.

"Miss Granger, I think it would be wise to let go of Harry. He won't be a good host to you if he suffocates now," Dumbledore said with an amused look and the trademark twinkle in his eyes.

"Yes, Professor," Hermione answered, a small blush spreading on her cheeks.

"Are you just going to keep standing there? Get off the street, now!"

Uncle Vernon didn't seem to want any unnecessary attention from the neighbours. Hermione raised an eyebrow, but Dumbledore didn't seem fazed at all.

"Yes, yes, of course…"

He levitated Hermione's trunk off the ground with a small flick of his wand, making both Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia gasp in horror.

A minute later, they were all in the living room, as Dudley had come downstairs to take a look as well. Dumbledore started speaking.

"First of all, I want to thank you for allowing Miss Granger to stay here for the remainder of the summer. Since I have been her Headmaster for the past five years, I'm in a good position to judge her, and I can assure you that she is very well-mannered and will be a good guest to you."

Aunt Petunia snorted, but Dumbledore continued his speech.

"I will not give you too much details as to why she has to be here. Suffice it to say that Harry has had a very difficult time for the last few weeks, due to a horrible and possibly traumatizing event that took place at the end of last term. I am worried enough about his well-being to take this measure. And since the three of you need to be protected as well, Harry has to stay here, at least for a few more weeks."

None of the Dursleys said a word.

"Now, I will leave the five of you. I expect that you will treat Hermione like a daughter during her stay here. If you handle her badly, I will hear about it," he said in a dangerous yet calm voice.

He stood up to leave, but suddenly seemed to remember something. He turned towards Harry and Hermione.

"Ah, yes, before I forget. Given the current situation in the wizarding world, I think it is appropriate for the two of you to continue your training during the summer. That is why I asked the Ministry to make an exception on the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery for both of you. You will be pleased to hear that the Ministry has accepted my request, meaning that you will be able to use spells in this house and in the nearby vicinity of it without any punishment. However, I have to ask both of you to use this liberty responsibly. I expect both of you to not use magic near any Muggles, with the possible exception of Mr. and Mrs. Dursley and their son. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir!" Harry and Hermione said in unison, a huge smile forming on their faces.

Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon looked dumbfounded. The latter opened his mouth to protest, but a glare from Dumbledore shut him up before he had even uttered a single word.

"Well, I will be off now. Thanks for allowing me to come inside momentarily. Harry and Hermione, enjoy the rest of your summer!"

And with that, Dumbledore made his way to the front door. Harry and Hermione waved at him one final time when Dumbledore left the house. A second later, he promptly Disapparated.

They looked at the spot where Dumbledore had just disappeared for a few minutes before they decided to get back inside the house.

"Come on, I'll show you the room."

The Dursleys were still dumbstruck. Harry didn't think it wise to disturb them now, so he quickly grabbed Hermione's trunk, closed the door, and made his way upstairs with her.

When they entered Harry's room, Hermione didn't look particularly pleased.

"Harry, when was the last time you cleaned up this place?"

"Uh..."

Hermione shot him a stern look, as if she had discovered he hadn't done his homewerk properly. It was only for a moment, however, as she started grinning.

"Come on, let's get to work."

It was about an hour later when they were finally finished. Harry's books were now neatly stacked on the shelves of the room, his trunk had been organised and he had brought his dirty clothes to Aunt Petunia downstairs. They had also tested if they could really do magic while they were setting up the camp bed Hermione had brought along ("Erecto!"), and they were now putting her clothes inside the closet.

"Hermione?"

"Hmmmm?"

"I was just wondering… what did your parents say about this whole thing? I mean, I know they agreed, obviously. But you don't get to spend a lot of time with them as it is, and that time has been cut short a lot now…"

"Well, I can't say they were thrilled by the idea, but they know how important you are to me. And I explained to them what you've been through the last year or so, without going into too much detail. After I did that, they certainly understood the importance of me being here."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. You would have done the same for me if the roles were reversed, wouldn't you?"

"In a heartbeat."

"Well then, there's no need to feel guilty."

Hermione gave his hand a quick squeeze, as if to assure him.

"Thanks for coming here," Harry mumbled. "It's been very difficult…"

"I know it's been hard for you, I could tell by the tone in your letter and how you were acting before. I've known you for nearly five years now, and I never had you not respond to one of my letters. And to be honest, you looked like you were on a different planet during the last days at Hogwarts, too. Even Ron noticed something wasn't right, and we know how thick he can be sometimes."

Harry sighed. "I've been really stupid."

"Yes. But I heard that you wrote back to him as well, so all is forgiven!"

"Not only to him. I sent letters to Ginny, Luna and Neville as well. Here, take a look…"

Harry showed her the stack of letters that was now positioned on the edge of the desk. Hermione picked it up carefully as she sat down on Harry's bed and started reading through the letters silently.

"So, they're doing all right, all of them?" Hermione said after she had read Luna's letter.

"It sure looks like it. Did you see what Nevile wrote about his new wand? He sure sounds ecsthatic."

"He does. I think it'll do wonders for his self-esteem, because people finally start recognizing him as a capable wizard. And it's all thanks to you, Harry!"

Harry looked at her in surprise. "What do you mean? I didn't help him or anything back there, he did it all by himself."

Hermione sighed. "Do you think Neville would have been where he was today if you hadn't been such a good teacher for the DA?"

Harry thought about it. "Maybe not. But there were other people who would have done fine as a teacher too, probably even better. You, for example."

Hermione blushed. "That's sweet, Harry. But I don't think anyone would have done a better job than you. You know, I walked across those examiners the evening after we took the Defense O.W.L., and I overheard them talking about how magnificent your exam had been. They said performances like that on a practical exam are very rare, they even mentioned that they'd never seen a fifteen year-old cast a perfect Patronus like you did. And Parvati was talking about you in the girl's dorm too that night. She had done her practical exam at the same time and she said she was incredibly impressed. So yeah, I don't think there would have been a better person for the job."

Harry didn't really know what to say to that.

"You know, I wouldn't be surprised if you got an Outstanding for your Defense O.W.L.," Hermione said.

"I sure hope so. But then again, if I get an Outstanding there, you'll probably get one too."

"I wouldn't be too sure about that, Harry. But we'll see, we should get the results in a few weeks…"

They continued unpacking Hermione's stuff. Harry put his hands in her trunk to grab the next set of clothes, but what he found wasn't quite what he had expected.

"Harry, why are you blushing so much?"

"Uh… well…"

He pulled a lacy black bra out of the trunk. Hermione started giggling almost instantly.

"I'm a girl, Harry. I thought you had come to realize that back in our fourth year."

That answer only made Harry blush even more.

"Do you like it?" Hermione asked with a rather naughty grin.

"Well… I guess so, yeah…" Harry blabbered.

"Come on, I'll go and put these away," Hermione said, looking as if she was trying very hard not to burst out laughing. "Your Boggart might turn into a bra if you keep holding on to it much longer."

That statement made a goofy smile appear on Harry's face.

 _(…)_

Harry and Hermione spent the remainder of the afternoon catching up, while Harry gave her a small tour around the house. He instinctively avoided the cupboard under the stairs, as he didn't intend to tell Hermione too much about how horrible the Dursleys had been before he went to Hogwarts. Quite soon, it was time for dinner, which was a rather tense affair. Uncle Vernon still seemed rather distraught about another magical person being under his care, while Aunt Petunia seemed to be doing her best to avoid looking at Hermione.

"So, how did you guys get to know each other?"

Harry looked up in surprise. Had Dudley just shown interest in him, and Hermione? Again? He was so shocked that he didn't immediately notice what Hermione was answering.

"…our first year. We didn't get along all that well for the first few weeks, although we didn't dislike each other either. But after a few weeks, something... happened. And we got to know each other better, and we've been good friends ever since."

"I see. So, what do you think of our place?" Dudley asked.

"It's nice!" Hermione answered politely. "I can't wait to see the town as well, I suppose Harry will take me outside one of these days for a small tour. Won't you, Harry?"

"Huh?" Harry seemed slightly dazed about the fact that his best friend and his cousin were having an actual conversation. "Oh, yeah, sure. I'll show you around once we get some decent weather…"

"Is everything all right with you, cousin? You seem a bit off," Dudley said.

"Yeah, just a bit tired. I think I'll turn in early tonight."

They finished the meal in silence. Harry and Hermione offered to do the dishes, while Dudley went upstairs to play some games. Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon sat down in the sofa. They hadn't said a word all night.

Half an hour later, Harry and Hermione were upstairs in the room, planning just about everything they were going to do this summer.

"I suppose we could put silencing charms around the backyard. If we want to practice duelling, the only place where we'll be able to really do it is there. We need some space," Hermione said. "And it's completely covered by hedges on all sides, so there's no risk of your neighbours seeing us.

Harry yawned. "I don't think Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon would be okay with us using the backyard as a duelling terrain."

"Well, they sure seem terrified about us being able to do magic freely. They can't really stop us. And even if they tried to, we could always send a letter to Dumbledore about it. He'll take care of them."

"I guess you are correct," Harry brought out, while he was yawning again.

"Is the prospect of training with me all summer that boring to you, Harry?" Hermione asked, one eyebrow raised.

"Of course not!" Harry sat up immediately.

Hermione smiled softly. "You really didn't get a lot of sleep the last few weeks, right?"

"No, I didn't… nightmares and such… I kind of got used to barely getting any sleep."

Hermione looked at him compassionately. "I suppose it's a good idea to turn in now. It's been a long day, and we'll be refreshed tomorrow."

Harry agreed. They took turns getting their nightwear on. Harry just put on the only pair of pyjamas he had, while Hermione put on a pair of pyjama shorts and a black tank top, which rather emphasized her assets. Harry looked away quickly, although he was almost sure Hermione had noticed him. He got into his bed, while Hermione got into the camp bed.

"Are you sure you don't want to swap, Hermione? I'm sure my bed will be a lot more comfortable than that," he said while looking at the camp bed.

Hermione looked at him with a rather cheeky grin. "It'll take more than that to get me into your bed, Mr. Potter."

Harry started blabbering again, but Hermione put a finger on his lips.

"It's okay, Harry. I'm your guest and personally, I think you should get to sleep in your own bed. But thanks for the offer."

The two teens stared at each other quietly for a few seconds, until Hermione started grinning.

"Goodnight, Harry."

Hermione leaned over and gave him a kiss on his left cheek.

"Goodnight, Hermione."

Harry put out the lights and got into his bed, softly rubbing the spot on his cheek where Hermione had kissed him. He had that funny feeling in his stomach, again.

A few minutes later, while he was starting to fall asleep, he felt Hermione's fingers slip into his own while her breathing grew slower and softer. He smiled inwardly. He was so glad she was here.

* * *

Please review!

Thanks to everyone who responded to my question after the last chapter. I'll see if I can make a Prisoner of Azkaban rewrite, but if I get around to doing it: don't expect it anytime soon. I have very little spare time right now, and for the moment, I will be focusing on this story.


	4. Gardening

Harry got used to Hermione's company very quickly. They got up together, ate together, Harry showed her around the small town of Little Whinging, they made their homework and practiced spells together. They had not come around to practicing hexes and duelling yet, as they had determined it best to let Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon get used to the company for a few days.

 _"Aguamenti!"_

A stream of water shot out of Harry's wand. The spell didn't work as he had wanted to, however. He had intended to fill the glass on his desk, but the stream came out with quite some force, resulting in Hermione getting soaked instead.

 _"_ _Harry!"_

"Oops. Sorry about that…" Harry brought out, although he could barely contain his laughter. He regretted that a few seconds later, however, as his pillow hit his face.

"That's what you get!"

"Oh come on Hermione, I'm sorry," Harry pouted.

She huffed, but Harry saw her smile softly behind her wet, curly hair. He cast a quick drying charm on her.

"Thanks," she said.

"No problem. But hey, at least I'm able to do the charm now!"

"Yeah, but you still need to work on your control. You nearly blasted me backwards with it."

"I'll try to do better next time," Harry smirked. "So, which spell are we going to try next?"

"Let's see… what about the Herbivicus Charm?"

Harry frowned. "What does it do?"

"It's a N.E.W.T. spell," Hermione answered. "It makes all kinds of plants and flowers grow and bloom, but it takes a lot of magical energy to get the hang of it."

"I see… how about we go into the garden, find something to practice on? Who knows, maybe we'll convince Aunt Petunia that magic isn't that bad after all. Her garden is in a right state," Harry said.

Hermione thought it was a good idea, so they made their way downstairs and outside. Dudley was sitting on the grass, playing a portable game, but Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon were nowhere in sight.

"Hey Dud," Harry said.

"Hey. What are you guys up to?"

"We're practicing spells. We're looking for some flowers or plants that are in a rather bad state."

 _That's weird, Dudley doesn't seem put off by magic anymore,_ Harry thought.

"Can I watch?"

Harry raised his eyebrows, but Hermione answered. "Of course."

They started looking in the flowerbeds, and it didn't take the youngsters long to find an ideal set of flowers to practice on. Now that Harry started looking around, he noticed that the horrible summer weather really had taken its toll on Aunt Petunia's once fabulous garden. Not only the flowerbeds were in need of help. The one tree that stood in the backyard looked in terrible shape, the hedge was missing a lot of leaves and even the grass they stood on didn't seem as vibrant as it should.

"So, Harry, you just say the incantation and then keep moving your arms in an anti-clockwise movement while you work the spell. The important part is to stay focused on whatever plant you're casting on. I'll show you."

Hermione pointed her wand at a lonely and particularly wilted flower, while Harry and Dudley watched with great interest.

 _"_ _Herbivicus!"_

As soon as the words had left her mouth, the flower started to raise itself, emitting a yellowish glow. A few seconds later, a perfectly healthy flower stood where the decayed one had been just moments earlier.

"Wow!" Dudley gasped, while he closed in to inspect the flower. "That's awesome!"

Harry grinned. "Can I try?"

"Sure," Hermione smiled.

Harry sought out a flower to practice on, until he found what he was looking for: a lonely rose, sitting on the edge of the flowerbed. He pointed his wand at it and concentrated with all his might.

 _"_ _Herbivicus!"_

At first he thought he'd failed, but while he kept rotating his arm, the rose started raising itself slowly, emitting a bright red glow in the process. Finally, the rose raised itself completely and the red glow died away. The rose looked to be in great shape.

"Fantastic, Harry! You got it on the first try!" Hermione grinned, while she leapt over to Harry and hugged him. From the corner of his eye, he could see Dudley looking at him with a rather knowing grin. Harry started blushing.

"Thanks," he flushed. "How about we give the garden a complete makeover? It looks like it is needed."

"Right," Hermione said, with a determined look in her eyes. "Let's do it."

For the next hour or so, they went around the garden, using the charm on any kind of plant or flower they found, with Dudley helping them look around. Harry quickly got the hang of it and after a few attempts, he managed to make the plants grow almost as fast as Hermione could. The end result was that Aunt Petunia's garden was in optimal condition. Harry wondered how she and Uncle Vernon would react to it. There was just one thing left to do…

"Hermione, we still have to do something about the tree," Harry said.

"Right. I think we'll have to do that one together. It's a tree after all, I don't think one of us could do it alone even if we tried."

Determined, the two of them took place below the tree, while Dudley was watching from a few meters away.

 _"_ _Herbivicus!"_ Harry and Hermione shouted in unison. Slowly but surely, a lot of missing leaves started to grow back. While they continued to work the spell, the leaves that were already there changed to a bright green color.

"Yes!" Dudley shouted. "You guys did it!"

Hermione fell backwards on the grass, completely drained from the effort, while Harry stepped back in order to take a look at the now blossoming tree.

"Still afraid of magic, Dud?" Harry asked.

"Starting to feel better about it…" Dudley answered, while he continued gaping at the tree.

Harry looked over to the base of the tree, where Hermione was still on her back. He suddenly got an idea. He pulled out his wand again and made his way to the rose he had first used the charm on.

"Diffindo," he whispered. Harry picked up the rose and walked over to Hermione, who had her eyes closed.

"Hermione?"

"Hmmmm…" she opened her eyes.

"Here, this is for you," he grinned, while giving the rose to her. The funny feeling in his stomach returned when he saw Hermione was starting to blush.

"Come on, get up," Harry said, stretching out his hands towards her. "Let's grab something to eat."

Their eyes locked. Hermione shot him her sweetest smile, which caused Harry to start blushing as well while he pulled her to her feet.

Both of them didn't notice the grin on Dudley's face as he watched the two of them.

 _(…)_

When Aunt Petunia returned home later that day, she could not believe her eyes. She stared in awe at her colourful flowerbeds and nearly toppled over when she saw the condition of the hedges and the tree in the backyard. As such, it was the main topic during that night's dinner at Number Four.

"… and Vernon, did you see the tree? I swear, it looked horrible yesterday, but it seems so full of life now! I have never seen it in such good condition. And the flowerbeds seemed to have gotten a lot of colour overnight, it's incredible!"

Vernon didn't have the same amount of joy as his wife on the subject. Instead, he was thinking about what could have caused the garden to change so much in what was seemingly just a matter of hours. Harry knew the look that had been on his face ever since he returned home. Vernon knew something suspicious had gone on, and Harry had already caught his uncle eyeing both him and Hermione a few times during dinner.

"I sure wonder what made the garden look so much different," he said, once again shooting glances at the wizarding pair. Harry knew he suspected them.

"They did it."

Harry immediately turned his attention to his cousin with a rather annoyed look. He knew Dudley meant well, but Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon were the type of people who never appreciated magic. Not of any type, shape or form. As such, Vernon's reaction was to be expected.

"I KNEW IT! Boy, didn't I tell you not to use any nonsense that would affect us?!" Vernon shouted, his voice thundering down on them.

"And how exactly does this affect you in a negative way?" Harry shot back, annoyed.

"Don't act like a wiseguy with me, boy. I don't want it in this house, and since you're still a resident here, you will obey!"

Harry opened his mouth again to protest, but it was Dudley who answered in his place.

"But, Dad, the garden looks great right know! Mum just said it, the garden looked horrible until they fixed it this afternoon. I helped them a bit as well and I'm happy I did. Just look at it. Even with all the work you and Mum put in it, it has never looked as good as it does now."

Vernon stared at his son, lost for words. Everyone got back to eating dinner in silence.

"Thanks," Aunt Petunia said a few minutes later.

Harry looked up in surprise. He'd never been thanked by his Aunt for anything, even with all the chores he had done in the fifteen years he lived at Privet Drive.

"You're welcome," Hermione said with a smile.

Once again, a momentary silence fell at the table. Until Hermione decided to ask an important question to the Dursleys.

"Excuse me, Ms. Dursley?"

"Yes?" Aunt Petunia asked.

"I wanted to ask you a favour."

Petunia's eyes narrowed. "Go on."

"Well, as you may know, Harry has an important role in fighting the most evil wizard of our time. Our Headmaster has instructed us to keep training over the summer, and we need a place to practice duelling. Harry and I were thinking about using the garden, but we wanted to ask your permission. If you want us to, we can use silencing charms, so nobody in the neighbourhood will be disturbed by us. And of course, we'll make sure the garden is in great shape when we leave it."

"Absolutely not! I will not have it!" Vernon barked immediately, his face growing purple with anger.

"Vernon!" Petunia snarled.

That was the first time Harry had ever seen his aunt and uncle argue over something. He hadn't expected this. He knew that his uncle wouldn't want them to do this, but Aunt Petunia actually seemed to be _considering_ what Hermione had proposed.

The room stayed silent for a few minutes, until…

"Fine. I will let you practice your… whatever in the garden. On the conditions that you use those silencing measures, clean up afterwards and that you only do it when Vernon and me aren't here. Understood?"

Harry and Hermione grinned.

"Thanks, Aunt Petunia."

"Thanks, Ms. Dursley."

Petunia didn't answer. Everyone went back to their meals in silence.

 _(…)_

"Your aunt doesn't seem too bad, Harry."

It was later that night, when both Harry and Hermione were in their beds and the lights were already out.

"That's because you've only known her for about a week. This must be the first time she endorses magic in and around the house, I never thought I'd live to see the day…"

"She sure seems reasonable, even if she didn't appear to like the idea. Your uncle didn't seem too pleased with the prospect, though. I was quite shocked with the way he shouted at us…"

"I think that's an understatement. You've never seen one of his outbursts, and now you've seen how much he despises magic. He'd probably still hate me even if I used magic to save his life."

Silence returned in the room. Harry felt himself dozing off silently.

"Harry?"

"Hmmm?"

"Thanks for the rose you gave me."

Harry could feel his face heating up as he heard her hand reaching over from the camp bed. She slipped her fingers into his own. Mere seconds later, he felt her giving him a small kiss on the cheek. His heart pounded in his chest.

"No problem," he said hoarsely. "Goodnight, Hermione."

"Sweet dreams, Harry."

Her hand didn't leave his for the rest of the night.

* * *

So, I'm back! I'm a lot later with this chapter than I anticipated, since I planned I fell silent after August and planned to post this last month... either way, I am still hoping to finish this story before 2017 starts, so expect the remaining chapters to come very quickly now. Especially because I had a reaaaaally good writing session tonight! Also, I realize this chapter is quite slow - but writing and including it just felt good for story development reasons. But don't worry, there is a lot of action coming up, in multiple ways!

I wonder if some of you know the **_Herbivicus Charm_**? I got this spell from the Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire videogame, me and one of my friends used to play that game all the time on my old PS2 when we were kids. Kudos if you know it. I am not sure if it exists in Rowlings universe, but then again, this is my story.


	5. Birthday Confessions

Harry woke up the next morning feeling completely refreshed, even after a hard day's work. He looked to his right, only to find Hermione's camp bed oddly vacant.

 _Must have gone for an early shower_ , Harry thought. However, when he looked at the clock on his desk, he noticed it wasn't that early at all: it was 10:30 AM already. He made to get up, but stopped when he saw that there was a small box lying at his feet on the bed, wrapped in red paper.

Harry's attention increased tenfold. _A gift_?

Just as he was reaching for the box, the door to his room opened.

"Ah, you're awake," Hermione grinned. "Looks like I got here just in time. Happy birthday, Harry!"

Harry looked at her, confused. Was today really his birthday? He had completely forgotten about it. His stupor lessened when Hermione came over to the bed, hugged him and kissed him twice on each cheek. He felt his face heating up again, his heartrate increasing with every kiss she gave him.

"Thanks Hermione," he said, his face buried in her hair.

Hermione pulled back, still grinning. "Come on, open your present!"

Harry didn't need to be told twice. Eagerly, he grabbed the box from the blankets and started unwrapping it.

"Wow," he muttered.

Inside the box was a grey bracelet. As Harry took it in his hands to examine it, he saw a silver stag and a silver doe portrayed on it, their forms moving around the length of the bracelet. At the same time, silvery letters appeared on the inside.

 _Happy 16th birthday Harry - From your friend, Hermione_

Harry looked up at her, smiling. "It's beautiful, Hermione. I love it. Thank you so much!"

Before Hermione could reply, Harry had pulled her into another hug. To Harry's surprise, he heard her make a sound that sounded very much like a giggle. He'd never heard her do that.

"Great, I hoped that you liked it. I didn't know what I had to get-"

"You didn't even have to get me anything. You being here with me is the best gift I could have ever received."

"Oh, Harry, you don't need to say stuff like that," Hermione said in a low voice while she pulled back slightly. Harry looked her in the eye.

"I'm serious, Hermione. You're the one and only person who has never abandoned me, and you have no idea how much it means to me. Back in our first year, you came with me into the chambers under the trap door and stayed with me as long as possible. We saved Sirius and Buckbeak together."

He paused for a few moments after the mention of Sirius, but then continued his plea.

"When I was chosen as a Triwizard Champion, you were one of the few people who actually believed me when I said I didn't do it. And you came to help me, you stuck by my side even when three quarters of the school taunted me about it. You helped me survive the tournament by researching spells. And last year…" he gulped. "Last year was pretty much the same. You believed me when not many others did. You stuck with me. We took on Umbridge, helped the people who wanted to learn Defence Against the Dark Arts. And last month, you came to the Ministry with me. You've always supported me."

Hermione was looking straight at him now, tears glistening in her eyes. Before Harry knew it, she had wrapped her arms around his shoulders. They were hugging. _Again_. But this time, Hermione was using so much force that he thought he might suffocate.

"Thanks Harry," she said softly.

"I should be the one to thank you. Like I said in my letter, I don't deserve a friend like you."

"Yes, you do!" Hermione said, pulling back again. "You're one of the kindest and bravest people I've ever met, Harry, and you have experienced horrors that you do not deserve. Quite frankly, nobody deserves them and no sixteen-year-old should ever suffer as much as you have. And it's not just about what happened back when you were a baby. You took on V-Voldemort four times in the past five years. You were tortured by that Umbridge hag last year, you saw Cedric and Sirius die before your own eyes. No one should ever witness that or be subjected to any of these things."

Harry didn't know how to respond to that, so he just settled for another hug.

"Hermione, did I ever tell you you're the most brilliant person I ever came across?"

Hermione started smiling, even though she still had tears in her eyes. "You're quite brilliant yourself, Mr. Potter."

Harry grinned at her. As he thought about everything that had been said in the last few minutes, he figured it was time to do something important. Something he should have done a few weeks ago, something he should have told her and Ron during the last few days at Hogwarts.

"Hermione?"

"Yes?"

"There's something I need to tell you. Something important."

"Okay." She sat down next to him and took one of his hands in hers. "I'm listening."

Harry let out a soft sigh, enjoying the warmth that spread over his body after she took his hand.

"You remember the prophecy that we found in the Department of Mysteries? The one with my name on it, and Voldemort's?"

"Yeah… but it was destroyed, right?"

"Yes. But Dumbledore told me what it said. He knew."

"What? But how?"

"Because he was there when it was made. Trelawney did it. She made it to Dumbledore a few months before I was born, during a job interview for the post of Divination teacher. He… he showed me a memory of it, she was talking in the same unnatural voice as two years ago, when she warned me about how Pettigrew would return to Voldemort and help him rise again. We know how that ended, so it has to be the real deal."

Hermione gasped. "What did it say? The prophecy?"

Harry looked at her. He recalled what the memory of Trelawney had told him in Dumbledore's office. He saw himself sitting in the archway room in the Ministry, the prophecy being smashed before his very eyes… feeling determined, he started reciting the contents it held.

 _"_ _The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches… born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies… and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not… and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives… the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies…"_

Silence. Hermione's eyes were filling with tears again.

"It's… it's about you, isn't it? Oh, Harry…"

He couldn't stop her from hugging him again, not that he wanted to. They stayed like that for a few minutes before Harry noticed that his shoulder was getting wet.

"S-sorry," Hermione said when she pulled back.

"It's okay, Hermione. I was quite shocked as well when I heard it for the first time. Dumbledore explained it to me in detail."

"Is he sure about it being you? I mean, there could be more people that fit the description…"

"No, there aren't. It's definitely me. You see, there was one other boy who could have fit the complete description. Neville. It was destined to be one of us. But there's one difference. Voldemort marked me as his equal, not Neville," Harry said while pointing to his scar. "So there's no doubt about it. I have to kill him or be killed by him."

He stopped speaking at that moment, as if that last sentence had some sort of finality to it. He watched as Hermione took it all in, and spoke again after a minute or so.

"If you don't want anything to do with me anymore, I understand, Hermione. This won't end well either way. Even if I survive this mess, I will have to kill him. I'd understand if you don't want anything to do with a murderer…"

"Oh, Harry, don't say things like that," Hermione interrupted, sniffing softly. "I'm going to support you until the very end, you know that. Because you are going to defeat him."

"But how, Hermione? I mean, we've seen what he can do. How powerful he is. I don't know how I can possibly match that."

"You already have, Harry," she said, taking his hand. "It's your sixteenth birthday today. If we count the night he lost his powers, you already encountered him five times, and you survived every time. I'm sure not many people can say that."

"But… I don't have any special powers. And most of those times, I was pretty lucky, too."

"You do have special powers, Harry. And as I said before, you're an incredible wizard in your own right. I've never heard of someone who conjured a full-fledged Patronus that drove away hundreds of Dementors at age thirteen, but you did it. You duelled with Voldemort when you were fourteen and got away. And remember what the prophecy said? _He will have power the Dark Lord knows not…"_

"Dumbledore reckons it's love," Harry said with an unconvinced expression. "But I don't see how that will get rid of him… I can't imagine I'd need love to make him die."

Hermione squeezed his hand. "We'll figure it out, Harry. I'm sure you're going to defeat him. And Dumbledore is right, you know. You might be brave and humble all the same, but if there's one thing you have in great quantities, it's love."

Hermione said those last words with a rather eye-piercing expression. Harry felt his heartbeat go up a notch while they looked at each other. He squeezed her hand in response. His gaze shifted to her lips. He felt that he was starting to blush again, but at the same time he realized just how much he wanted to kiss her.

 _"_ _Whoa, where did that come from?"_ A voice in his head spoke.

Harry found himself not really caring about what the voice said.

"So… are we going downstairs? I suppose you'd like a nice birthday breakfast," Hermione said with a soft smile.

"Sure," Harry said hoarsely.

"Well then, get dressed, birthday boy! Let's go!"

 _(…)_

Harry couldn't have wished for better weather on his birthday. The skies were blue, the sun was out in full force and it was very hot. After having breakfast, Harry and Hermione decided to capitalise on the absence of Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia. Once the silencing charms had been put up, Hermione and Harry engaged in their first duelling session of the summer.

"You ready, Hermione?"

"Always, Potter," she said in a dangerous voice.

"This is going to be just a training session, right?"

Hermione's answer was a quick Stunning Spell that missed Harry by mere inches.

"All right, if that's how you want to play…" Harry responded with a quick Impediment Jinx, but Hermione's Shield Charm went up before the spell hit. They kept firing spells at each other for at least a minute, until Harry seized his chance.

"Expelliarmus!"

Hermione's reaction wasn't quick enough, as she seemed surprised by Harry's unconventional spell choice. Her wand flew out of her hand and it was caught in rather spectacular fashion by Harry, undoubtedly helped by his experience as a Seeker.

"You want this?" He shouted with a mischievous grin, while waving with Hermione's wand.

That was a mistake, as Hermione came running straight at him. He turned to run, but it was too late: Hermione collided with him and only moments later, they were both rolling on the ground, fighting for possession of the wand.

"Harry James Potter, give that back!" Hermione shouted.

"Only if you say please," Harry said in his sweetest voice, his grip on her wand still tight.

Hermione didn't seem very inclined to do that, as she kept struggling against Harry's grasp on her wand. Harry responded by pinning her on the ground. He roared with laughter when Hermione finally gave up.

"Okay, okay, you win! Can I have my wand back, Harry? Please?" she asked with a very innocent, albeit eye-piercing look.

Harry felt his mouth go dry, especially when remembered their current position: on top of each other.

"S-sure," he said, handing the wand back to Hermione.

"Thanks," Hermione said with a smile. "Rictusempra!"

The spell hit Harry in the chest. He fell to the ground, laughing loudly as the Tickling Charm took full effect.

"Maa-ake it stop! Her-Hermione!"

Hermione barked with laughter. "Only if you say please."

"Pl-please, make it STOP!"

With a wave of her wand, Hermione granted his wish. Harry was still lying on the ground, and he didn't respond for a while, as he seemed to recover from the vicious tickling attack.

"You okay, Harry?"

"Yeah, just resting for a minute," he responded as Hermione sat down beside him.

Harry thought he was going mad, and not because of the Tickling Charm he had just been assaulted with. Ever since Hermione had been attacked during their adventure in the Ministry, he felt that something was changing between the two of them. He didn't know if she felt it too, but something was going on. And the effects seemed to have been amplified after her arrival at Privet Drive.

Only moments ago, he had felt it again when she looked at him, asking for her wand. That eye-piercing look that seemed to make his insides melt. He also felt it whenever they touched, like when she grabbed his hand. He had a hunch about what made him feel this way. He thought back to the time when he had been attracted to Cho Chang. It all seemed so similar with how Harry felt now. It didn't end too well between him and Cho, but they had a date once.

 _"_ _Maybe that's what I have to do,"_ Harry thought.

"Hermione?" He said as he sat up.

"Yes, Harry?"

"Well, I was wondering… there's a small movie theatre in town. If you'd like to, we could ahhhh… you know… go watch a movie sometime?"

Hermione's eyes widened slightly. If anything, Harry thought she was a bit shocked by what he was asking.

"Harry, are you asking me out on a _date_?"

"Well… yeah, actually… but o-"

"Yes!"

Harry looked at her dumbfounded. "What?"

Hermione grinned at him. "Yes. I'd like to go on a date with you."

"Oh." He knew he was blushing severely, judging by the heat he felt radiating from his face. "Well, that's settled, then. When would you like to go?"

"It doesn't really matter to me, Harry, as long as it's you I'm going with."

"I see." He knew he was probably looking more like a tomato with every passing second. "How about we go there in a few days? I'll go check it out tomorrow or something."

"That's fine with me, Harry," Hermione said with an eager smile. Harry smiled back at her.

Some time later, Hermione got up from the ground and went inside the house. Harry followed her.

"What are you going to do?" Harry asked as she moved into the kitchen.

"It's a surprise. And you can't see it, so it might be a good time for you to go upstairs and read a bit in your room," she said with a wink.

"All right," Harry said. "You'll call me when I can come downstairs?"

"Sure ," Hermione answered. She gave him a kiss on the cheek, which made Harry's facial colours change once again while he ran up the stairs.

 _(…)_

Focusing on his copy of _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_ turned out to be a rather difficult task for Harry. He knew he should study a bit, but that was nearly impossible when an image of his bushy-haired best friend kept dancing in front of his eyes.

"Oh, sod this."

Harry slammed the book shut and hopped onto his bed. He knew what he was getting himself into. The spot on his cheek where Hermione had just kissed him was still tingling. He knew he was developing a crush on his female best friend, and even though he could come up with good enough reasons not to go through with it, he felt that he did not care.

First of all, there was Ron. He suspected him to have a crush on Hermione as well, but who was Ron to claim her? He simply couldn't. It was Hermione's choice, and right now, even though he felt a bit insecure, Harry suspected he was the most likely one of the two friends to end up in a relationship with Hermione. And if he was indeed correct, he could only hope that Ron would be able to cope with it.

That brought him to the next problem. Hermione could become a big target for Voldemort and his followers if they found out about a possible relationship between them, and with people like Draco Malfoy in the school, it was likely that they would find out. They could use her to get to him like they did with Sirius, and he did not want to let that happen. _But,_ Harry reasoned: wasn't she in grave danger already? She had Muggle parents, which made her a target by default. Not to mention the fact that they had been best friends for five years. She was already marked as an enemy by the Death Eaters, especially after the battle in the Department of Mysteries, and a romantic relationship would not change that. And Harry would make sure to protect her with his life.

 _"_ _So, what's the problem?"_ The voice in his head spoke again.

 _"_ _What if she rejects me?"_

 _"_ _She will not reject you, what are you talking about? Haven't you seen the way she acts around you?"_

 _"_ _What if she just wants to be friendly?"_

 _"_ _You know how Hermione is when she wants to be friendly, and this is not like it."_

 _"_ _But, I thought her and Ron…"_

 _"_ _What about her and Ron? They argue all the time. It would never work out…"_

 _"_ _Maybe, but still. What if she prefers him?"_

 _"_ _You know she prefers you."_

 _"_ _Maybe… but what if she rejects me?"_

 _"_ _We're going in circles here, Harry Potter."_

Harry sighed. He had a feeling he was making this more difficult for himself than necessary.

"HARRY?"

He jumped up from the bed, happy to hear Hermione's voice again.

"Yes?"

"Come down, the surprise is ready!"

He did not need to be told twice. He yanked the door open and sprinted downstairs, where he was greeted by a smell he particularly liked…

"Hermione, you didn't!"

"Yes, I did!" Hermione grinned. "Happy birthday, Harry!"

Harry looked longingly at the treacle tart on the counter.

"Thank you, Hermione," he said, hugging her for what felt like the fiftieth time today. And as they sat down and ate a bit of the treacle tart, he thought about him and Hermione again.

 _Let's just see how this date thing turns out. Then we will see what happens._

* * *

Ooooh… a date?

Some people who reviewed seemed to be very happy when they finally saw me posting an update, I can't deny that I felt very pleased about that. Again, I apologize for my absence over the past few months. As I mentioned in my temporary update to this story, I've been on an exchange in Scotland since early September. This understandably soaked up a lot of my available time, something I had severely underestimated. Anyway, I'm still in Scotland now, but I finally have some time to write. Chapter 6 and 7 are ready to upload, so stay tuned!


	6. Date Gone Wrong

The remainder of Harry's birthday went by rather uneventfully, and he started thinking about his upcoming date with Hermione very soon. What movie should they go to? He did not know which type of movie she would be really interested in, but he had a hunch that she might like a girly movie… something romantic, maybe?

"Hermione?"

It was a few days after Harry's birthday, and with the end of summer getting ever closer, he decided it was better to go sooner rather than later.

"I went to the movie theatre this morning to check what movies they are playing. I didn't really know which one you would prefer, so I took a guess…"

"Oh, Harry, anything you choose is good enough for me! You should not have worried about that. But what movie did you pick?"

"Well, it's called _Emma_. I didn't know which movie genre you preferred, so as I said, I had to guess… it's supposed to be a romance comedy."

"Oh Harry, that's perfect! I really like romance comedies."

Harry uttered an inner sigh of relief.

"When are we going?"

"Tonight!" Harry responded.

"That's great!" Hermione said, closing the distance and hugging him. "I can't wait!"

She darted outside.

"Me neither…" Harry whispered.

 _(…)_

Their duelling training went really well that day. Harry noticed that both Hermione's and his own spells were getting stronger. He wondered if they should bring back the D.A. once they were back at Hogwarts. With Voldemort's resurrection out in the open now, they might need their Defence lessons more than ever - and Harry really hoped that Dumbledore would manage to find a capable teacher this time around.

Before they knew it, it was time to get ready for the movie night. Harry was the first to take a shower and went to the room afterwards, so he could get into some comfortable clothes while Hermione was in the shower.

It seemed to take quite a long time for Hermione to get ready, however, so he moved downstairs. He found Dudley outside.

"Hey Dud."

"Harry."

"Where are Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia?"

"They are out on some dinner with a guy who wants to invest in Dad's company. They should be back in a few hours, I think."

"Well, then you'll have the house to yourself tonight. Hermione and me are going to the movie theatre."

"Oooooh, are you going out on a date?" Dudley said in a taunting voice, grinning.

"Shut up," Harry said, although he couldn't stop a small grin appearing on his face.

"Well, in any case, have fun. I'm just going to enjoy the good weather out here while it's still light. Might put on a movie myself once it's dark."

Harry nodded.

The two cousins sat together in silence for a while, enjoying the early evening sun. Harry checked his watch… almost 8 PM. The movie started in about half an hour.

"I wonder what's taking her so long?" Harry said.

"That's just how girls are, cousin. They always take loads of time to prepare for this sort of stuff, don't you know that?"

"Well, I don't really have a lot of experience with girls…"

"Do you even have any experience?"

Harry glared at his cousin. "Of course!"

Dudley raised his eyebrows.

"You see, there was this girl that I really liked for the past two years… we kissed last Christmas, but nothing came of it."

Dudley let out a whistle. "What went wrong?"

"Well, I really liked her, but she really struggled with some personal issues… and we kind of grew apart after that. We had one date on Valentine's Day, but that didn't really go well."

"What happened?"

"Well, to start off, she dragged me to this tea shop that made me feel very uncomfortable. Couples everywhere, everyone was kissing, I didn't like it at all. And I also had an appointment with Hermione later that day, so I told this girl that I needed to see Hermione afterwards and that she could come with me if she wanted to. And she did not like that. She didn't like that at all."

Dudley's grin grew even bigger. "You're so stupid."

Harry frowned. "Am I?"

"Yeah. You're so into Hermione, I think you have been for some time. And up until now, I think you've been denial."

"Maybe I was, subconsciously. I don't know…"

The cousins grew silent again. Until, a few minutes later…

"Harry, are you ready to go?"

"Sure, Her-"

Harry had spun around when he heard her voice, but he found it difficult to talk once he saw her.

Hermione's clothes weren't anything out of the ordinary - it was just that she looked so good in them. She wore a black skirt, a grey top and stockings, and a pair of blue ballerinas, the same shade of blue as her Yule Ball dress.

"Everything all right, Harry?" she said with an amused smile.

"Yeah, sure…" Harry said, slowly coming out of his stupor. "Let's go. See you later, Dud."

"Bye guys, have fun!" Dudley said, shooting Harry and Hermione a cheeky grin as he watched them leave.

Once they were out of the front door, Harry offered her his arm, which Hermione gladly took as they made their way towards the movie theatre.

"Are you excited, Hermione?"

Hermione looked at him with a twinkle in her eyes. "Of course! This is going to be so much fun!"

They arrived at the movie theatre about fifteen minutes later and took their seats. They were almost near the back of the room.

"Do you know that this is actually the first time I've been in a movie theatre?" Harry asked.

"No, I didn't know that. But on the other hand, I can't say I'm surprised…" she said, while squeezing his hand.

The movie started. Harry didn't know when it happened, as he was focused on the big screen in front of him, but he suddenly realized that Hermione's head was resting on his shoulder. When he moved to rest his own head against hers a little while later, he also didn't realize…

 _(…)_

"So Harry, what did you think of it?" Hermione said about two hours later, when they left the movie theatre.

"Very special. Now I understand why everyone loves to go to the movie theatre every once in a while," he said with a smirk. "Are you okay, Hermione?"

"Yeah. I just wish I'd brought a coat or something, because it's a bit cold once the night has fallen…"

"Well, aren't you lucky that I brought a jacket? Here, take it."

Harry unfolded his own jacket and put it over Hermione's shoulders. He put his arm around her.

"Better?"

"Yes, definitely," she said, giving him a peck on the cheek. "Let's go."

A few minutes later, they passed a small park with a pond, which Harry remembered well: he had passed it a few times during his strolls last summer. Hermione started to steer them towards it. Not wanting to go home just yet, Harry followed suit. Once they reached the pond, they sat down on the edge.

"I love parks at night, it has something special…" Hermione said. Harry still had his arm draped around her shoulders.

"Yeah, it's nice. The Hogwarts grounds also have something special at night."

"Agreed. Do you remember when we were riding Buckbeak? I was so scared, but on the other hand, the sights were beautiful…"

"How could I forget… that night was amazing. Maybe our biggest adventure yet."

"It could be. But then again, we've had so many adventures already."

"As long as I can share them with you, I'd like to have a few more," Harry said.

"That's sweet," Hermione answered.

Harry's throat had gone dry again. Hermione's eyes were now piercing his own, and he knew that look. It was the same one when she was determined to find the answer to a particularly difficult question. He inched forward, and she did the same… moments later, their lips touched.

It was unlike anything Harry had experienced before. Sure, he had kissed Cho, but this… nothing in his entire life had felt so right. Or fantastic, for that matter. He didn't know how long they had been kissing when they pulled apart, but something told him it had been quite a long time - and he wanted to do it again.

Hermione grinned at him. The only response Harry could think of was grinning back at her as they both lowered their heads onto the grass, hands intertwined. They broke eye contact for the first time in ages as they looked up towards the moon and the star-filled indigo sky.

"This is the most perfect night ever…" Harry whispered.

"Agreed," Hermione said, squeezing his hand in affirmation. "Let's stay here for a little while longer, I don't want this night to end yet."

"Me neither. But we will get more nights after this one, so don't worry."

Hermione looked over to him with the most brilliant smile he had ever seen. "I love you, Harry."

"I love you too, Hermione."

They fell silent, enjoying each other's company while they stared at the brilliant night sky. For the first time ever, Harry felt like a normal teenage boy. Any thoughts about Voldemort, the prophecy and even Sirius were far away, his mind completely focused on the girl next to him.

"I can't believe we've never done this before," Hermione said.

"What, kissing?"

"No, silly," Hermione giggled. "Just going out on a beautiful night like this, watching the sky. We could have sneaked out of the castle under your invisibility cloak, and since you have the Marauder's Map…"

"My, my. Hermione Granger, wanting to break the rules?"

"I think I already broke one rule. Never fall in love with your best friend."

"Well, I'm glad you broke that one," Harry smirked. "Guess me and Ron finally rubbed off on you after all these years."

"Oh, shut it," Hermione said in a playful tone. Before Harry knew it, she was on top of him and they had started kissing again.

They stayed like that for some time, Harry didn't know how long. All he knew was that suddenly, something changed while they were kissing. Hermione must have felt the same, because they pulled away almost simultaneously.

"What is going on?" Hermione said in a cautious voice. All noise around them had died down. They had been illuminated by the moonlight before, but that light had completely disappeared… in fact, they were now surrounded by total darkness. Both the stars and the moon were gone and the indigo sky had turned pitch black. Even Hermione was barely visible to Harry - the only thing he could clearly see was the bracelet she had given him for his birthday, which was glowing brightly around his wrist.

Harry gulped. He had been in this exact same situation one year ago in the small alley near Magnolia Crescent and Wisteria Walk, which was only a few minutes away. He knew what was coming, especially when he felt the icy cold creeping in.

"Dementors."

Hermione gasped. "Oh no."

Harry turned around, making sure he stood back to back with Hermione, and pointed his wand into the air. _"Lumos Maxima!"_

An enormous white orb shot out of his wand and filled the park with light. Harry did not care much for the Statute of Secrecy right now - he was not about to let any Dementors catch them by surprise. And if any Muggles were out on the streets nearby, they were in imminent danger. They needed to be able to see them.

Harry looked around carefully for any signs of black, cloaked figures closing in on him. The cold was intensifying and with Hermione covering his back, he kept peering ahead towards the nearby trees. He heard the rattling breaths. But he still didn't see anything moving...

"Harry!"

He turned around as soon as he heard Hermione's voice. Four Dementors were gliding over the pond, and they were closing in on them quickly. Harry did not hesitate.

 _"_ _Expecto Patronum!"_

Both teenagers had shouted the incantation simultaneously. Harry's familiar stag erupted out of his wand and charged into one of them immediately, but Hermione could only produce a shield form. It deflected one of the incoming Dementors, before the silver stag chased it away. Hermione's silvery shield dissolved and she slumped to the ground, sitting on her knees.

"Hermione!"

Moments later, the small group of Dementors had fled. As Harry's Patronus dissolved, the cold ebbed away, but Harry's amplified Wand-Lighting Charm remained the only light source nearby.

"Are you okay, Hermione?"

"F-fine… I don't understand why I could not make the spell work completely. I did it in the D.A…"

"Don't worry about that. It is way more difficult to produce a corporeal Patronus when you are fighting a real Dementor, let alone a group of them. You could not have known what it was like. And you still did well to produce a shield," Harry said.

"I guess so…" Hermione said. She was still trembling. Harry hugged her.

"Come on," Harry said a moment later. "We have to get back to Privet Drive. Who knows what we will find there, let's hurry."

By the time they got out of the park, the Wand-Lighting Charm had worn off - they were now surrounded by complete darkness again, as all of the streetlights were out.

"Lumos," both Harry and Hermione whispered. Their wand tips ignited.

They made a run for it, still holding hands. Despite the darkness, the coast seemed to be clear in the streets surrounding them. However, the cold came back as soon as they got closer to Privet Drive.

Harry gasped as soon as the sudden wave of icy air hit them. "This can't be good, there have to be more of them somewhere. I don't like the feeling of this…"

They kept running, their wands held high over their heads. The light from the wands illuminated the houses around them.

"Harry, look!"

It was a horrible sight. His aunt and uncle had probably just arrived home, but there they were - out of their car and surrounded by another three Dementors. Aunt Petunia was twitching on the ground, while Uncle Vernon struggled against the icy grasp of one of them - the creature had removed its hood, revealing its hideous face. It seemed to be closing in for the kill.

 _"_ _EXPECTO PATRONUM!"_

Harry and Hermione had once again cast the spell at the same time. But this time, it wasn't only a stag that had appeared - Hermione's otter Patronus had joined it. The Dementor holding Uncle Vernon shrieked in agony when the force of both silver animals hit it, making it flee. Its companions decided to do the same thing. Harry and Hermione watched the horrible creatures fly away into the dark skies.

A short while later, the streetlights came back to life. The sky turned back to a nice shade of indigo and was once again filled with a bright moon and numerous stars.

"Aunt Petunia?"

Harry moved towards his aunt carefully. She had stopped moving. He didn't pay attention to Uncle Vernon, who was coughing and gasping for air next to the car.

"Aunt Petunia?" Harry repeated.

Hermione moved next to her and felt her wrist. She looked dead, especially in the pale moonlight.

"She's alive, Harry."

Hermione carefully opened one of Petunia's eyelids. "I don't think she's been Kissed, she looks relatively normal…"

"We have to get help. Come on, let's get them inside, quickly!"

They carried Aunt Petunia inside and carefully put her on the sofa.

"What's going on? The power went out a few minutes ago, everything just turned back on…" Dudley had heard the noise and come downstairs. "Mum?"

"We think she's all right, Dudley, we'll explain later!" Harry said. "Help me first, your dad is still outside."

"Outside?" His face paled when he saw the state Aunt Petunia was in. "What happened here, Harry?"

"Later! Hermione, you see that house over there?" He pointed outside the window, to a house on the corner of Privet Drive and Wisteria Walk. "There's an old woman who lives there, her name is Arabella Figg. She's an Order member. Go over there and talk to her, she can alarm the Order!"

Hermione nodded and ran out of the house. The two cousins followed her outside, grabbed Uncle Vernon by the arms, and guided him inside.

* * *

Well, that was quite a chapter, wasn't it? This is my Christmas gift for you Fanfiction readers out there, enjoy the holidays!

I know what you might think, but no: the fact that I chose the movie _Emma_ was merely a coincidence. Although the choice is pretty ironic, given the name of Hermione's real-life actress. Love you Emma Watson! Anyways, I searched for romance movies that were released in July/early August 1996 and this one seemed like a reasonable choice. I never even saw it myself, hence why there weren't any real movie theatre scenes.


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